NieR Automata Ver1.1a Episode 2 Review: History, Present and the Possible Outcomes

NieR Automata Ver1.1a Episode 2 gives us a much-needed overview of the past but is it enough to keep the audience engaged? Various new characters have also been introduced; let’s get right into the review without further ado.

NieR Automata Ver1.1a Episode 2 Overview

NieR Automata Ver1.1a is an anime adaption from the action role-playing game Nier: Automata, developed by PlatinumGames and published by Square Enix. The series is produced by A-1 Picture, who previously also created SAO, Shigatsu and Lycoris Recoil. Ryouji Masuyama of Blend S is the director, and Yukio Nagasaki is the sound director who also worked in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, Love Live and Yona.

The anime creators have previously confirmed that the series will have an original story, but the basic premise will remain the same. After humanity from Earth has been driven off by mechanical aliens, a force of android warriors is sent as a last effort by humans to save their home. A war between the raging machines and intelligent androids will commence. The plot will follow the androids 2B, 9S and A2 and their attempt to complete the mission and reclaim the lost land.

The opening theme song of the series is called escalate, performed by Aimer and antinomy or アンチノミー by Amazarashi will be the ending track.

-NieR Automata Ver1.1a Episode 2 Review Contains Spoilers-

NieR Automata Ver1.1a Episode 2 Review: city e[S]cape

The new episode gave the audience a peek at the behind-the-scenes of the war and the lives of the humans. After 2B and 9S destroyed the Goliath with the help of the black cube, which also killed them in the process, they were revived again by YoRHa. However, the supervisor advises them not to use the equipment recklessly as it has major repercussions.

Meanwhile, in the lonely city of ruins awakes, a robot. Several other machines lying on the street also wake, forming a large group within minutes. Some humans attack the robots but are unsuccessful in defeating each one. Subsequently, we also notice how a robot can form human emotions after it picks up a flower and a message pops up on its screen that says, “Detected Emotion Matrix”.

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2B and 9S are given a new set of tasks, and it is to save the humans in distress. They are supposed to save a group called the Resistance on Earth. They are a group of survivors fighting against the machines, but they have stopped responding to YoRHa. The androids’ main mission is to find out the reason behind their lack of response. A new character named Lily is introduced, who seems crucial to the plot.

Lily puts herself into a difficult situation while fighting the ruthless machines; fortunately, 2B and 9S arrive at the right time to save the day. But Lily remains suspicious of the androids, fearing that they might also turn against humanity.

NieR Automata Ver1.1a Episode 2 Review: Final Thoughts

The creators lived up to their words and did not follow the exact plot of the video game. The story of the new episode was different and original. Yet, it was extremely uninteresting and remained bland. There were considerably a lot of expectations after the action-packed first episode, and it could not live up to it. Even though the episode provided a backstory, it failed to intrigue the audience further.

However, the animation remained top-notch. The attention to detail in every scene and the use of CGI are done seamlessly and appropriately. The voice actors brought the characters to life and did what the script demanded. Introducing the new characters early into the story guarantees multiple new story arcs. It will be interesting to see how the story unfolds in the newer episodes.

Watch NieR Automata Ver1.1a Episode 2 on Crunchyroll.

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